


Flirting with the Enemy

by Aly_H



Category: Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Genre: Bad Flirting, Flirting with Monsters, Kissing, M/M, Post-Battle, Tired Wardens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-07 23:39:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17970260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aly_H/pseuds/Aly_H
Summary: During the battle with the Mother Warden-Commander Tabris says something he definitely wouldn't have said under normal circumstances. After the battle Nathaniel Howe calls him out on this fact.





	Flirting with the Enemy

**Author's Note:**

> Written based on the prompt "Things said when afraid", on tumblr.

Evander Tabris, Hero of Ferelden, Slayer of Archdemons, dragons and darkspawn, Arl of Amaranthine, and Warden-Commander of Ferelden was many things: Brother, bard, cousin, Red Jenny, Warden, a terrible flirt, a guilty friend, a hopeless pining romantic.

And in that moment he had been afraid.

Amaranthine had nearly burned. The Vigil was under siege. He had just let the _creature_ responsible for the swathes of death carved across Ferelden not even a year past go without so much as lifting his weapon.

His Wardens were battered and bruised. Anders was doing what he could but there had been no time to see if those that had fallen still breathed.

And he faced the Mother.

The being whose insanity was half responsible for his Arling being soaked with blood – both tainted and not. And the broodmother whose children had proved far more dangerous and difficult to deal with than he could’ve ever guessed.

What Evander Tabris was not in moments like this, where fear and exhaustion made his limbs feel heavy, was dignified.

Dignity had always been the first thing to go when his survival instincts kicked in.

Which was perhaps the reason why the words that fell out of his mouth as his daggers sank into their mark were rather regrettable.

“Shame things couldn’t work out between us, gorgeous.”

After that they had camped in the woods of Amaranthine because they were all too sore and tired to move and after his heroic efforts keeping the lot of them alive Anders was probably lyrium sick too. Or near enough to it.

The mage was curled up on his side with Pounce wrapped up in his arms. Both mage and cat too exhausted to bother with movement. And snoring.

Sigrun’s gaze had been distant, lost in her thoughts, since they’d emerged back into daylight and she seemed to have fallen asleep against the tree she’d chosen to rest her back on. Van knew he _should_ wake her as she’d cramp terribly if he didn’t but the thought of moving from his place jabbing at their fire was too unappealing to try.

Sat beside him, close enough that their shoulders brushed was Nathaniel Howe - his long legs stretched out at an angle.

“…the Architect, the Mother, the Chosen, the Baroness…”

The elf paused his abuse of their campfire to stare at the other warden in open confusion. Those were all enemies that they’d faced together, but why was Nathaniel listing them? Especially with that bemused, sort of judging look on his face.

“What?”

“I find myself concerned about you, Commander.”

“And why is that?”

Nathaniel’s lips quirked into a smirk, one that Van couldn’t help smiling back at - “It must hurt, the way in which your affections are continuously rebuffed by those to whom you offer them.”

Wait…what? _Oh_.

He jabbed his stick at the embers once more, color rising in his cheeks. If it was Sigrun or Oghren or even Anders teasing him about that stupid habit it’d be fine. But _no_. Nathaniel Howe had to be the one to notice it.

“I _may_ or may not stress-flirt,” he grumbled at the fire. He paused and glanced to the human adding, “I don’t mean it when I flirt with monsters trying to kill me, you know?”

The archer’s shoulder bumped gently into his. “I had my suspicions.”

He was smiling now. Not just a smirk but a proper smile, and Van couldn’t help the way that his returned even more than before.

“Maker, you’re gorgeous,” the words tumbled out of his mouth before he could catch them and remind himself that he wasn’t supposed to be flirting with his Wardens. That as the Commander he shouldn’t -

Except Nathaniel had leaned across the space and kissed him softly, “You use that term a little too liberally for me to believe you, Van.”

“It’s not the only term I’d use for you, Nate,” he promised. “Lovely, beauti-” He was cut off by another kiss, one that he laughed against before he returned.

And in that moment he wasn’t afraid.


End file.
